


Tony and Pepper: A Work In Progress

by AlexaNDYE



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Cuties, F/M, First Dates, Nervousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-27
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-03-25 23:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3828511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaNDYE/pseuds/AlexaNDYE
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A relationship always has its beginnings; there are romantic moments and sweet moments, but for Tony and Pepper, those moments didn't come without some awkwardness and nervousness in between. And since it's Tony Stark, there are some warnings of unintended asshole moments as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tony and Pepper: A Work In Progress

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gloamings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gloamings/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, Mary!! I'm sorry I keep turning happy fics into sad fics, but I hope you like it anyways!

They’ve been in a relationship for almost a week; the only thing they’ve done romantically is kiss each other goodbye and good morning. Sex wasn’t even on the table yet, and neither was it a question. Pepper made it clear that she wanted to make sure he was invested in the relationship and not doing it for shits and giggles.

Before she drive home, Pepper thought it was a good idea to say good-bye to her eccentric super hero boyfriend. They’ve both been busy, Tony with the Avengers and her with the cleanup, so they haven’t quite interacted for more than an hour at a time, especially in close quarters.

So, when Tony kissed her good-bye, he got an unexpected reaction. She laughed. Normally, they’d exchange little pecks on the cheeks or on the lips, so he had the idea of giving her a real deep and romantic kiss goodbye. It was supposed to be his proof that he wanted _this_ ; their relationship and everything that came with it. But, her laughter told him that his idea was going the opposite way.

He pulled away and let her lean against him as she was coming down from her fits of laughter.

“Okay, well, obviously I’m doing something wrong because you’re laughing… and you don’t sound like you were enjoying it.” He sighed to himself.

“No, no,” she tried to recover. “It’s—It’s nothing like that. It’s… uh…” She pointed to her chin. “Your goatee. It tickles.”

“Oh,” he frowned. “Do you… want me to shave… or something?” Both of them sounded quite out of the loop, because the whole romantic relationship thing was new to them, especially with each other.

“No, no, no.” She shook her head. “It’s fine.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Okay…” he leaned in for another kiss, and for a few seconds, she didn’t laugh, but then squeaked a giggle, causing him to pull away again.

“I’m sorry!”

“The goatee?”

“No, it’s just… your hands… on my waist… tickled a bit.” She was definitely enjoying it, but it was just a little weird to be kissing him.

“Is this weird for you?” He finally asked.

“What? No… I mean… It’s not weird… you, being my boss… and me, being… uh… your boss… or maybe we’re each other’s boss…”

He stared at her for a second. “So, it is weird for you.”

She shook her head. “No—I mean—Yes! I mean… Ugh, it’s just really… weird… to be doing this… I mean, you’re Tony. I’ve worked for you for over ten years, and here we are… kissing and laughing and being together. It’s just not what I expected.”

“Okay. So… weird. I got it.”

She frowned. “Tony,” she held onto his hand to keep him from leaving. “It’s not weird. I mean, it’ll take some time for me to get used to this, of course.” He sighed as he listened to her. “The laughing is just me being nervous.”

“Nervous?” He smirked. “You have nothing to be nervous about. It’s just me.”

“I know…” She sighed. “Okay,” she pulled him closer. “Let’s try it again.”

He leaned in and pressed his soft lips against hers, caressing her plump, warm lips. He kissed her multiple times and even heard her moan a little. His arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her against his chest. Her hands slid up his chest and then squeezed his shoulders, and then they reached up to gently and endearingly play with the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. He smiled against her lips as everything turned into a nice and romantic moment between them, but it didn’t last. She pulled away and let out a small laugh.

“Ugh, Pepper…” Tony groaned as she tried to recover.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She apologized. “Your hands were on my ass and it was just—whoa, Tony’s hands are on my ass! I mean, normally, I would’ve slapped you or punched you in the face, but, you’re my boyfriend and just the word is a little weird—because you’re Tony Stark. You’re a playboy and...” She paused and saw the large frown he was wearing. She shook her head at herself; her words weren’t exactly the nicest ones to say. “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have said that… I’m normally not like this.”

“It’s fine.” He pulled away from her as the feeling of defeat poured into him. It was true. He was regarded as a playboy around the world, and yet, he wanted Pepper. He loved her. “Maybe you should… uh… go, before it gets too late.”

She felt bad for ruining the moment between them. Never in a million years did she think she’d screw up something so romantic; she thought Tony would be the first one to do it, but there she was, listening to Tony dismiss her like she disappointed him.

They ultimately said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. It wasn’t the best interaction they’ve had, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. Worst things could’ve happened. It was all Pepper could tell herself to help her not feel like a total loser as she drove home that evening.

\--

It was their first official date as a couple. Sure, they’ve been on dates before, but that was just dating. Coffee and little on-the-way trips to meetings didn’t exactly count, and Pepper was still testing the waters to see if Tony was actually serious about being in a relationship with her.

The date was nothing fancy; it was a simple meal at her place and maybe a movie. The movie was Tony’s choice while Pepper was in charge of the meal. Tony planned to arrive early to help Pepper with the cooking, but he was more of a disaster than help.

She told him to make the salad, but he ended up tossing things too hard and flung most of the lettuce everywhere. She anticipated such a thing happening, so she took out a bag of spinach when he sounded like he created a monster.

“Okay, I’m not touching anything else,” he held his hands up right after he put the bowl of salad in the refrigerator.

Pepper laughed as she continued to smother the large chicken in front of her with a sweet and tangy glaze. “You’re not completely terrible.”

He came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. He planted a soft kiss on her neck and nuzzled it with his nose. “That’s because you brought back-up.” He whispered into her ear. “Because you knew I’d screw up somehow.”

She smiled sweetly and turned her head to look at him from the corner of his eye. “No, I just didn’t want you to feel bad if you did mess something up.”

“Mm…” He hummed lightly and kissed her bare shoulder. His hands played with her blouse and bunched the ends up. Her breath hitched when she felt his warm hands caress the smooth and creamy skin of her waist. His hot lips pressed against her neck once more.

“Tony…” She mumbled hotly.

“Sorry,” he smirked. “Sometimes I get too excited and go straight for dessert.”

She elbowed him in the ribs and heard him laugh. She shook her head and continued to glaze the chicken. After she was done, she put the chicken into the oven, but when she turned around, he wasn’t there anymore. She furrowed her eyebrows, wiped her hands on one of the towels on the counter, and went to go look for him.

She found him in the hallway with one of her childhood photos in his hand. He was looking at it, observing it, and tucking the image in the back of his mind. Their friendship was mostly one-sided for the longest time; she knew everything about him, but he knew practically nothing about her. Now that they were in a relationship, he desperately wanted to change that. He wanted to get to know her; he wanted to know what schools she went to, what she wanted her occupation to be when she was little, how many siblings she had, how many times she participated in a school play, etc. The only problem was, he didn’t know how to ask her.

“Is this your family?” He asked.

She walked over to him and looked down at the photo; it was one of her and her childhood friend, Brian, along with her parents and his parents. It was a camping trip and probably the only one she ever went on.

“Kind of,” She muttered. “That’s Brian, my friend from school, and those are my parents,” she pointed then out. “And those are his parents.”

“Ah,” He nodded. “Brian… not your boyfriend back then, right?”

She smirked. “Just a friend,” She rubbed circles into his back. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not worried.” He put the picture back and immediately went defensive. “I’m just wondering if I have competition.”

“Mhm,” she smiled at him.

“But by the looks of it, I don’t think I do.”

“You’re terrible.” He heard her laugh as they made their way towards the kitchen.

They each drank a glass of wine and lounged in the living room as they waited for the chicken to cook; he politely asked her questions about her childhood, asking if she had siblings, which she didn’t, and what she liked and disliked. It was pretty nice and informative, up until he asked about her parents.

“So, your mom and dad, do they live around here?” He asked as he sloshed his wine around to let it breathe. He stared at her and waited for her answer, but the sadness in her eyes as she peered downwards told him he had made a terrible decision.

“Uh…” She paused and pressed her lips together. “…They’re… not.”

He flashed a worried look. “I—I’m sorry. I don’t—I mean—I’m not trying to—“ He stammered.

“It’s okay, Tony.” She paused. “My dad left us when I was in High School. My mom lives in Georgia with my grandma and grandpa.”

He ultimately felt like an asshole. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

She tried to smile. “It happened a long time ago, so… you know… I’m not sensitive to the subject.”

He scooted close to her and wrapped his arm around her, letting her lean on him for support. He didn’t know what else to say; he’s never been in such a position before, especially with her. He didn’t want his next words to be insensitive or over the top. He wanted to as comforting and reassuring as possible, but all he could think about was how sorry he was for asking in the first place.

At one point, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the tears that threatened to escape the corners of her eyes, and in that moment, he felt his heart shatter. He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, hoping that he didn’t open old wounds.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

She didn’t blame him; he was only trying to get to know her better. “It’s fine. Uh… I think the chicken might be ready.” And just like that, she pulled out of his arms and was in the kitchen. He let out a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his hair. He hated the accidental asshole moments he kept producing; it was one of his many flaws, but always the one he wished he could wind back time to prevent himself from starting it.

Dinner was fairly quick; there was a bowl of salad, some sautéed mushrooms, some corn, and a very delicious whole chicken, for them to eat. They didn’t eat in silence, which was a good thing to Tony, because it meant Pepper wasn’t mad at him or anything like that.

They talked a little bit about work and then they switched over to more causal conversing, such as questions about his childhood, her hobbies, what projects he was working on, what she did in her spare time, and other general topics that came up in between.

It was a successful conversation. After dinner was over, they lounged on the couch together; he laid back into the depths of her very comfortable tan leather couch and pulled her on top of him. As they laid together, his arms gently massaged her waist, and her hands mindlessly played with his hand.

“This is nice,” he noted.

She glanced up at him. “Yeah?”

“Just us two…” He paused. “…Alone, and without any interruptions.” He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. “I like it.”

She smiled to herself and turned around his arms. His eyes widened in surprise as he watched her straddle his waist; he stared up at her, unsure of what to say or do. His arms hovered near her waist, but never touched her.

“Those aren’t my lips,” she muttered seductively.

He mouth gapped; he was at lost for words. “I thought—because of that one time—I—“ She unexpectedly pressed her lips against his, shutting him up and making him gasp. He hummed and squeaked a moan, and then felt her pull away. His hooded eyes peered down at her lips; they looked soft, warm, and inviting. “You’re not laughing…”

“It’s not so funny this time.” She replied with a small smile.

He returned the smile, wrapped his arms around her, hugged her to his body, and kissed her. He rolled her over on the couch as she smiled against his lips. She made the cutest little gasp, and it only made him want to kiss her more.

“I’m really sorry about earlier,” he said once they broke apart. “I didn’t mean to sound like an asshole… asking about… y’know…”

She cupped his cheeks. “Tony, I’m not blaming you for anything. This is what couples do, right? They learn all they can about each other.”

“You already know me so well. It feels one-sided at this point.”

She breathed a laugh. “It was my job to know you.”

“I know, but…” He sighed. “…I still feel bad for it.”

“I’ll tell you what,” she paused. “Why don’t you stay over tonight and then you can ask me anything you want.”

His heart leaped; he raised his eyebrows and stared at her. “Stay over—you want me to stay over?”

“Only if you want to.” She grinned widely.

“I’d be an idiot if I said no.”


End file.
